Retrospective
Recently I received an email from a grateful modeler who'd just discovered my blog. Being a fan of the original G&D, he had a number of questions. That sent me back here and, being as it was first thing in the morning, I decided to take a stroll through the whole thing whilst sipping my coffee. I didn't read it word-for-word, but instead skimmed it, absorbing the look and feel.
With the project now almost a year old, give or take, it was an interesting experience—regrettably a melancholy one, for the most part. Having developed arthritis in my hands and fingers, I gazed at images of work I can no longer do; all of my schemes for subsequent projects have had to be relegated to the "might have been" bin.
But all is not doom and gloom, for I've successfully launched my business, NZT Products. Which may raise a logical question for my readers: if my modeling has been restricted due to health, how is it I can manufacture small, intricate models? Well, for one thing, much of the work is done on computer. I'm able to put decades of experience doing technical illustration to work designing products.
A few days later, I'll receive a small box in the mail containing my nearly-finished models. I need only assemble the masters to begin the mold-making process. Owing to their design, assembly doesn't require that much manual dexterity, and since the masters are simply shapes to be reproduced, their cosmetic appearance is irrelevant—in other words, I don't have to embarrass myself by attempting to paint them.
Which brings me to a particular place in my home: that same said location where the G&D was assembled is now occupied by a fairly sophisticated casting station. Perhaps fittingly, some of my first products were born on the G&D.
It's a thrill to think my work is populating any number of layouts all over the world. To a large extent, helping other modelers build their layouts makes up for the fact that I probably won't have a new layout of my own, simply because I can't model the way I used to. Or perhaps I will build a new layout, but not what I'd have created ordinarily; it may instead be a "demonstrator" for my products.
At any rate, it's most rewarding to hear from other modelers who've discovered one of my many blogs and websites. The reason I publish them is to lend others a hand, and show them what's possible. The G&D blog might not be updated again for a while—if ever—but its value will long outlive the last post.